Waking Giant by David S. Reynolds

Book Description

The years from 1815 to 1848 were arguably the richest period in American life. In Waking Giant, award-winning historian David S. Reynolds illuminates the era's exciting political story alongside the fascinating social and cultural movements that influenced it. He casts fresh light on Andrew Jackson, who redefined the presidency, as well as John Quincy Adams and James K. Polk, who expanded the nation's territory and strengthened its position internationally. Waking Giant captures the turbulence of a democracy caught in the throes of the slavery controversy, the rise of capitalism, and the birth of urbanization. Reynolds reveals unknown dimensions of the Second Great Awakening with its sects, cults, and self-styled prophets. He brings alive the reformers, abolitionists, and prohibitionists who struggled to correct America's worst social ills. He uncovers the political roots of some of America's greatest authors and artists, from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Edgar Allan Poe to Thomas Cole and Asher B.
Durand, and he re-creates the shocking phenomena that marked the age: bloody duels and violent mobs; Barnum's freaks and all-seeing mesmerists; polygamous prophets and wealthy prostitutes; table-lifting spiritualists and rabble-rousing feminists. All were crucial to the political and social ferment that led to the Civil War. Meticulously researched and masterfully written, Waking Giant is a brilliant chronicle of America's vibrant and tumultuous rise.

Features a great American poem. This book includes an afterword by Whitman authority David Reynolds, in which he discusses the 1855 edition, in its social and cultural contexts. It also includes an appendix. It is useful for fans of Whitman and lovers of American poetry.

Walt Whitman is one of the first volumes in the Lives and Legacies series on notable figures inspired by the Very Short Introductions series. Award winning author, David Reynolds, offers a book that comcisely places this influencial American poet in his historical contexts.

Author Biography - David S. Reynolds

David S. Reynolds is a distinguished professor of English and American studies at the Graduate Center and Baruch College of the City University of New York and the author of "Walt Whitman's America." Arthur Morey has recorded over two hundred audiobooks in history, fiction, science, business, and religion, earning a number of "AudioFile" Earphones Awards and two Audie Award nominations. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.

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